Never driven a Tesla? Now you can rent one, drive to San Diego

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Tesloop founder Haydn Sonnad, 19, has expanded the company’s operation to include Tesloop Cruiser. The car rental service allows customers to drive a Tesla Model 3 or a Tesla Model X between Los Angeles and San Diego, or L.A. and Palm Springs. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

If you’re planning a trip to San Diego or Palm Springs and have never driven a Tesla, Tesloop has your number.

The Culver City-based startup has launched a car rental service called Tesloop Cruiser. A complement to the company’s existing Tesloop Shuttle service, Tesloop Cruiser allows customers to drive a Tesla Model 3, which seats five people, or a Tesla Model X, which seats seven.

One-way service for $49

Drivers can reserve a trip and drive between cities within pre-scheduled time frames for as little as $49 in a Model 3 or $79 in a Model X. The electric vehicles can be picked up at a variety of locations in each city. They come with free WiFi, snacks, multiple phone chargers, neck pillows, noise-canceling headphones and customer support service.

The vehicles also have an autonomous cruise-control feature. It can be set once a motorist gets on the freeway and the car will automatically react to changing traffic speeds and conditions.

Tesloop founder Haydn Sonnad, 18, has expanded into Orange County. Tesloop is a Los Angeles-based concept that uses a small fleet of Tesla vehicles to drive passengers. Haydn Sonnad came up with the idea when he was 16. The company now makes 12 daily trips between LA and Palm Springs, eight trips between San Diego and LA and six between OC and LA. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Tesloop founder Haydn Sonnad, 18, has expanded into Orange County. Tesloop is a Los Angeles-based concept that uses a small fleet of Tesla vehicles to drive passengers. Haydn Sonnad came up with the idea when he was 16. The company now makes 12 daily trips between LA and Palm Springs, eight trips between San Diego and LA and six between OC and LA. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Tesloop founder Haydn Sonnad, 18, has expanded into Orange County. Tesloop is a Los Angeles-based concept that uses a small fleet of Tesla vehicles to drive passengers. Haydn Sonnad came up with the idea when he was 16. The company now makes 12 daily trips between LA and Palm Springs, eight trips between San Diego and LA and six between OC and LA. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Haydn Sonnad, the creator of Tesloop, is a finalist for Forbes’ $500,000 Global Change the World competition. The contest seeks standout entrepreneurs under the age of 30. (Courtesy of Tesloop)

Tesloop founder Haydn Sonnad, 18, has expanded into Orange County. Tesloop is a Los Angeles-based concept that uses a small fleet of Tesla vehicles to drive passengers. Haydn Sonnad came up with the idea when he was 16. The company now makes 12 daily trips between LA and Palm Springs, eight trips between San Diego and LA and six between OC and LA. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Los Angeles-based startup Tesloop is offering people the opportunity to travel from Orange County to either Los Angeles or San Diego in a Tesla. (Photo courtesy of Tesloop)

Tesloop Cruiser service was launched two weeks ago and is offered between Los Angeles and San Diego and Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Drivers can return via the same route, but that must be booked as a separate trip with the same rates applying.

A round-trip of roughly $100 for a Model 3 or $160 for a Model X will likely be pricey for some. But Haydn Sonnad, the company’s 19-year-old founder, figures many customers will be traveling with friends to see a baseball game, concert or other event. If a driver splits the Model X price of $79 with four friends that would be about $16 per person one-way or $32 per person round-trip.

Competition heating

Tesloop joins a growing number of ride-sharing options that include the taxi-style services of Uber and Lyft and the shared car services of Zipcar and Maven, among others. And it’s big business. Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, provides access to more than 12,000 vehicles in urban areas, on college campuses and at airports across Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Iceland, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

“I suspect that even though Uber and Lyft can sometimes be relatively cheap compared to a taxi they are still pretty darned expensive for some people,” said Catherine Burke, a professor emeritus from USC and an expert on innovative transportation. “But I guess if someone wants to pay for a Tesla … that’s great.”

A shared fleet

The company plans to expand its inventory of cars.

“Our long-term goal will be to allow people who own electric vehicles to contribute their cars to a shared fleet,” said Sonnad, who lives in Los Angeles. “Someone with an electric car might say, ‘Maybe I don’t need my car today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.’ So we would figure out what would be the best use for the vehicle during that time.”

That would not only boost Tesloop’s fleet but also provide an income stream for Tesla owners. Sonnad figures that could spur increased sales for the automaker.

“Right now people are paying about $1,000 a month to own a Tesla,” he said. “But if they could allow the car to be used when they don’t need it and drive that monthly payment down to say, $200 or $300, more people would buy the cars.”

How to reserve a Tesla

Drivers must be at least 25 years old with a valid driver’s license and must pass a background check and Department of Motor Vehicles record check. When a reservation is made, a refundable damage deposit of $300 also is required.

Tesloop Shuttle, the company’s original city-to-city ride-share service, is available between Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas and the company is looking to expand with additional connections. It allows consumers to book travel by the seat in a Tesla Model S or Model X. Prices for those rides vary, according to the time and day of the week, starting at $29 one-way.

Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.

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